FNAME, here's living proof

Lives transformed. Latest news from East Timor Hearts Fund

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Dear FNAME,
From our selfless volunteers to our generous donors, we simply could not have the impact we are having without your support.
I recently sat in a village in the hills of Timor-Leste with penicillin program patient Dionezio and his mum. With your support, our work is keeping Dionezio alive. I could only look at his mum and smile. As a parent, I know the time and love we put into our kids. It was great to sit face to face with the living proof of the difference we are making together.
To maximise our impact, leading clinician and researcher Dr Josh Francis recently joined us as our honorary rheumatic heart disease (RHD) adviser. Dr Francis led our landmark study into RHD, recently published in the Medical Journal of Australia, which showed that Timor-Leste has some of the world’s highest rates of RHD. One in 28 school children, and one in 20 girls, are affected.
We continue to work hard with professional volunteers like Dr Francis and the government of Timor-Leste to ensure a brighter future for Dionezio and other young people with RHD. In recent weeks we have seen the global health community unite behind a shared vision of ending the tragedy of RHD (more details below).
As you can see, our work has never been more important. As we approach tax time I encourage you to continue to support good heart health for our neighbours and friends in Timor-Leste. Please go to our website today to make a secure online donation.
Until next time,
Stuart Thomson, CEO

For Nelsia
...and all the broken hearts
Three-year-old Nelsia is one of 10 children who received life-saving heart surgery as pa Heart patient Nelsia

rt of our Operation GoodHearts surgical mission earlier this year. With her heart condition fixed, she can now run and play. Most importantly, her family knows that Nelsia’s cheeky smile will be a feature in their lives for many years to come.
In Timor-Leste there are so many children and young people whose lives are limited by poor heart health. Some, like Nelsia, are born with heart defects. Others contract childhood infections that cause rheumatic heart disease.
East Timor Hearts Fund is the only medical organisation dedicated to providing life-saving heart surgery and heart-health research, prevention and education projects in Timor-Leste, where one in 28 people, and one in 20 girls, has rheumatic heart disease. Heart patient Nelsia

With your help, we can mend these broken hearts. And through our preventat Donate to mend a broken heart

ive health and education programs we even have a chance to stop them breaking in the first place.
That’s why we’re asking supporters to make a tax time donation before 30 June. Thank you in advance for your generosity.

Donate to mend a broken heart

Watch: the patient who captured our hearts

New heart, new hope for Domingas
Young mum Domingas returned home with a new heart and new hope for a healthy life after her mitral balloon procedure. Before flying home Domingas told us: “I feel much better now, and I feel happy. I am looking forward to seeing my baby and family." Our volunteer medical team will be in Dili soon and will continue to monitor Domingas’s recovery. Our sincere thanks to Dr Simon Eggleton and Eastern Heart Clinic and Prince of Wales Private Hospital in Sydney, for their life-changing work.

'Excellent outcomes'
Medical roundup with Dr Noel Bayley
We’re well into this year’s treatment program.
So far this year we have had excellent outcomes with Paulo, Jose, Marquita and Natalino; and last month Domingas had a successful mitral balloon procedure. We have three more patients scheduled soon: Marcelina for an ASD (“hole in the heart”) repair; Olga for a mitral balloon; and Jose for a mitral valve repair.
I’ll keep you posted – we anticipate excellent outcomes for all three.
We’re gearing up for our June clinics. Dr Louise Creati and I will be the adult cardiologists and I am delighted to say that Dr Ari Horton will once again provide paediatric expertise.
Biomedical engineer Gordon Szegi will also be part of the team – while we attend to the patients, he’ll be carrying out vital equipment repairs.
We intend two visits to the districts, one to Suai on the south coast, and the other to Baucau in the east.
We expect five days of clinics, all look to be very busy indeed. We’ll bring you some updates via social media – if time permits!
Thank you for your support.

– Dr Noel Bayley, honorary medical adviser

Join the fun!
On Sunday 29 June Team Mending Broken Hearts will once again be part of Run Melbourne. Rally your colleagues, family and friends and join us for the scenic 5km walk, the 10km fun run or the half marathon.
On Friday 12 October we’re holding our second annual Swing into Action to Mend a Broken Heart golf day at prestigious Sanctuary Lakes. Limited places and great sponsorship packages are still available.
Check the events page of our website for full details!

Donate to mend a broken heart

News bites

One for the team! Our board chair Ingrid Svendsen is about to trek 135km from one side of mountainous Timor-Leste to the other. Fortunately, Ingrid says she "loves a challenge". What's motivating her to pull on her hiking boots and backpack?

Making heart health history Like many in the international heart health community, we rejoiced this month when the 71st World Health Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland, unanimously adopted a resolution calling for a coordinated global response to end rheumatic heart disease (RHD) world-wide.
This was an historic decision – the first time that RHD has been recognised as a global health priority on the world stage.

Our Mr Fix-It
While our volunteer medical team attends to the patients, our volunteer biomedical engineer, Gordon Szegi, looks after the vital equipment that our doctors and health partners in Timor-Leste need.
Gordon accompanied our volunteer medical team to Dili 15 months ago to assemble and set up the equipment at Hospital Nacional Guido Valadares. This month he will make a return visit, to do a check up on the donated patient monitors, ECG machines and diagnostic cardiac ultrasound units.

Three minutes with…

Dr Ari Horton
Paediatric cardiology fellow

How did you become involved?
As a paediatric cardiac specialist, I was asked to join the volunteer medical team in 2017 to improve the capacity for care of children and education of local staff and families. Since participating in my first screening visit to Timor-Leste I have become passionate about this work and have visited Timor-Leste numerous times. It has been eye-opening to see the vast health differences between Australia and its neighbour, as well as the absolute spirit, determination and joy of the Timorese people.
What does your role entail?
I look after the heart health of children up to 18 years old. I specialise in congenital and inherited heart disease for all ages, as well as having a specific interest in rheumatic heart disease. I'm involved in clinical research, the penicillin program and follow-up of rheumatic heart disease patients. I firmly believe in education, capacity building, empowerment and collaboration with local services and I enjoy supporting local teams to further develop their skills.
What do you do in your spare time?
I am a keen photographer and like capturing unique moments and people. I am obsessed with good food and good coffee.
Find out more about Ari and our volunteer medical team on our website. Watch: Dr Ari and patient Nelsia.

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Get involved! To learn more about how you can support our work, please visit our website.

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Dr Ari Horton Paediatric cardiology fellow

Dr Ari Horton
Paediatric cardiology fellow